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Way OT, Job promotion/moving dilemma

578 Views 11 Replies 10 Participants Last post by mtbbrian, Dec 3, 2005

Cooter.

Discussion Starter · Dec 2, 2005

Well, yesterday afternoon we (my design group) had a series of meetings with our engineering manager. We are going thru a major division restructuring and our group is being merged/dissolved into a larger design group, still at the same location (Bartlesville, OK). Well, after my design group met our new boss, the plant engineering manager called me into his office for a 'talk'. Turns out, with our group being basically done away with, there wouldn't be really enough work to keep me here, so he offered me a promotion. The catch is I would have to move to Lawrence, KS (outside of KC) and move into a manufacturing engineering position. The job sounds pretty good, pretty much a 50/50 shop floor/office split, which I like, but I REALLY don't want to move to Kansas. My wife just got accepted into nursing school here and starts in January, and her kids live close.

Now, not that I'm trying to base major life decisions off a bunch of 2 wheeler riding yayhoos but if anyone has some past experience with something like this I would like to hear about it.

*PS- the meeting with the engineering manager that offered me the promotion basically went, "Here's this promotion, take it or take the highway"

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dogonfr

· #2 · Dec 2, 2005

Well mine was a bitt different, was told you have been here 17 years but we need the xtra cash so your fired, thats the easy explanation.
My plan is to kick back & view my options for a few.
Depends on what you want, the wife might be able to attend a different school near the new location then you still have to keep the kids in mind. You visit them they visit you. Discuss with the wife, check out what is available for job opportunitys in you area, sometimes change is good.

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Cooter.

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 2, 2005

well, we'll be leaving sunday evening to go to lawrence to scope out the area on monday. I meet the plant manager on tuesday morning, tour the plant and see what I'll be doing, meet the co-workers and such. Then next weekend we'll head back up and look for houses and the breweries. So, I have resigned myself to the fact that we will be putting jayhawk plates on our vehicles.

I'm actually kind of excited about it.

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dogonfr

· #4 · Dec 2, 2005

Need to change that to looking for brewerys & houses. Now you'll have to find a new DH spot, have fun & good luck!

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TNC

· #5 · Dec 2, 2005

Yeah, those are hard calls. One thing I've always used as somewhat of a guideline, however, is that old mantra, "Quality of life". Some things in life were kind of a priority for me...decent liveable weather year round, access to off road motorcycling and mountainbiking, and avoidance of really heavy urban areas. I could have made more money in my career field in other places, but unless you have 5 kids "and" a wife, how much should one sacrifice for more money and/or prestige and power? Obviously we are all driven somewhat differently, and if you look at how much time we spend working vs. doing the things we are passionate about, one might justify any good job situation as the main priority in life. Personally I don't see it that way. Yeah, the job has got to be satisfying to a reasonable degree, and it's got to pay the bills...and many people's highest passion is their job. I guess I like a balance of different things in life that I feel are important. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the 30+ years in my profession, but I liked and did a whole lot of other things too. If the balance toward the job was too overwhelming to the extent that it really cut into some of my passions, something would have to give. Take it from someone who could be classified as being on the downhill side of life, I haven't regretted not having more money, prestige, or other issues that a different career direction might have provided. I have so many life experiences that have involved travel, adventure, and downright fun that might have been noticeably curtailed with other career choices...and it ain't over yet...LOL! And Cooter...I'm not suggesting shucking the career and going on an around-the-world backpacking adventure in some clich'ed fashion. For me it was just keeping all things in as healthy a perspective as possible.

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MT Road

· #6 · Dec 2, 2005

I feel you

Same thing happened to me after 11 years, I ended up moving and felt abused at the new area, not well know in the new state, so after 11 years I was starting all over again. Two years later, I quite that job and started with a new opportunity..

So my .02 cents worth… Never hurts to give it a try, much easier to find a job when you have one (you can really wait for the "good" one), and at the end of the day I am way better off than before.. stay open and good luck.. these are not easy decisions but they are the decisions that shape our lives….

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Godzilla

· #7 · Dec 2, 2005

My brother got stuck out at Ft Riley, KS and there is actually a fairly core group of riders there:

http://www.ksfreeriders.com/

Not that you'd ever find me there, but...

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ianjenn

· #8 · Dec 3, 2005

Not sure of the area you are in. Maybe since the wife got into nursing you should look what is in your area. Maybe there is a good nursing school in the other state she could get into???

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SHIVER ME TIMBERS

· #9 · Dec 3, 2005

TNC said:
Yeah, those are hard calls. One thing I've always used as somewhat of a guideline, however, is that old mantra, "Quality of life". Some things in life were kind of a priority for me...decent liveable weather year round, access to off road motorcycling and mountainbiking, and avoidance of really heavy urban areas. I could have made more money in my career field in other places, but unless you have 5 kids "and" a wife, how much should one sacrifice for more money and/or prestige and power? Obviously we are all driven somewhat differently, and if you look at how much time we spend working vs. doing the things we are passionate about, one might justify any good job situation as the main priority in life. Personally I don't see it that way. Yeah, the job has got to be satisfying to a reasonable degree, and it's got to pay the bills...and many people's highest passion is their job. I guess I like a balance of different things in life that I feel are important. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the 30+ years in my profession, but I liked and did a whole lot of other things too. If the balance toward the job was too overwhelming to the extent that it really cut into some of my passions, something would have to give. Take it from someone who could be classified as being on the downhill side of life, I haven't regretted not having more money, prestige, or other issues that a different career direction might have provided. I have so many life experiences that have involved travel, adventure, and downright fun that might have been noticeably curtailed with other career choices...and it ain't over yet...LOL! And Cooter...I'm not suggesting shucking the career and going on an around-the-world backpacking adventure in some clich'ed fashion. For me it was just keeping all things in as healthy a perspective as possible.

I like that...all I can say is really have some deep conversations with the Wife......also there is a nursing school 5 minutes from my house, tons of jobs and we have mountains not hills...oh yeah riding all year around

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pdirt

· #10 · Dec 3, 2005

I think the decision should be what's best for the kids and their ma... but I'm a Dad, so...

I just had a similar situation, the decision to move was left up to Zach, my 8 year old... he said " nay"...

The other reason is the "quality of life" variable That TNC brought up ...I live in Eugene 'on purpose'... I like it here and so does my family, so more money to move somewhere else is weird for us... and we have family here... sure i could make more money, and work more hours somewhere else... but here, I got a gig I like in a place I love.. and my kids and wife feel the same... so we may "have less" materially, but we have more in other areas that are more important to us.

Hope that helps.

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biker3

· #11 · Dec 3, 2005

Id do it Cooter. Lawrence is one of the SWEETEST college towns in the country. Lots of liberal scum buts probably one of the best bar scenes as well. Plus youll be like a 6 hour drive from colorado, why the hell not?

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mtbbrian

· #12 · Dec 3, 2005

Don't Know What To Tell You Other Than...

Good Luck you two!
Keep us posted!
Brian

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